Manila court orders re-arrest of Tiamzons

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) — A local court has ordered the arrest of three National Democratic Front (NDF) peace consultants Wednesday.

In an order dated January 11, the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 32 granted the Justice Department's motion for recommitment and cancellation of bail of Benito Tiamzon, Wilma Tiamzon, and Adelberto Silva.

"The respective cash bonds in the amount of P100,000 posted by the accused Adelberto Silva, Benito Tiamzon, and Wilma Tiamzon are hereby cancelled," the order stated.

The court called for the issuance of an arrest warrant.

Silva and the Tiamzons were granted provisional liberty in 2016 to participate in peace negotiations between the government and the NDF, the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

The Tiamzons and Silva were released in August last year in time for the resumption of the peace talks. They were charged with multiple counts of murder for allegedly killing civilians whose bodies were discovered in a mass grave in 1986 in Leyte.

However, after President Rodrigo Duterte formally ended the negotiations through Proclamation 360 in November, the Justice Department has sought their re-arrest.